Kings vs. Devils: A matchup against all odds

New Jersey's Ilya Kovalchuk (left) will face the Kings after spurning them in free agency nearly two years ago.

New Jersey's Ilya Kovalchuk (left) will face the Kings after...

NEWARK, N.J. — A little less than two years after battling for the services of high-scoring free-agent forward Ilya Kovalchuk, the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings are going after a bigger prize — the Stanley Cup.

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Riding the goaltending of Jonathan Quick, the Kings overcame even bigger obstacles. They are only the second No. 8 seed to make it since the conference-based NHL playoff format was introduced in 1993-94. The Edmonton Oilers were the first in 2006.

“It's all about winning here and eliminating distractions and doing what it takes to be successful,” said Brodeur, who led the Devils to Cups in 1995, 2000 and 2003.

While this isn't a glamour series, it has elements that should prove entertaining.

To start, this is an East-West series featuring two of the nation's biggest media markets.

But the Kings and Devils also present great storylines.

Los Angeles, which heavily courted Kovalchuk in free agency, is making only its second appearance in a Cup final, having lost to Montreal in 1993. The Kings are back, though, after a midseason shakeup that saw Sutter replace Terry Murray. They have posted a 12-2 postseason record and knocked off the three top seeds in the Western Conference — Vancouver, St. Louis and Phoenix.

The Devils missed the playoffs last season despite retaining Kovalchuk with a $102 million contract that the league said violated its letter of the law. Few expected them to recover this quickly, especially with Brodeur seemingly on his last legs after a sub-par season.

New Jersey rallied from 3-2 deficit in the opening round of the playoffs with two overtime wins against Florida, then eliminated the Flyers and Rangers in five and six games, respectively.